This invention relates to sign support systems and more particularly to a novel telescoping sign support system having a self-contained driving and extracting mechanism for temporarily attaching the sign system to the ground.
The temporary placement of signs has historically been viewed as a commercial necessity in many industries; particularly as an advertising tool in the marketing of real estate and other forms of property. Temporarily placed signs have also been used in non-commercial displays such as for political campaign promotions, public announcements, and required official public notices by agencies of local governments.
The display of information using signs supported in a vertical arrangement, which are temporarily attached to the ground, continues to find new useful applications. While attempts to provide an effective sign support system with universal applications have been made, many problems experienced by users remain unresolved by conventional systems.
Temporary sign supports currently known in the art have typically been limited to simple variations of sign posts which are designed for use in limited applications. Further, such conventional sign posts are often restricted for use with a particular type, shape, and material of sign.
For example, Paulson , U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,817 discloses a single post sign holder configured to display highway signs, specifically rigidly constructed signs which are configured and displayed such that two corners of the attached sign must be aligned along a vertical axis and sized to fit within the provided sign securing points. The Paulson sign post includes a sliding hammer which is intended for driving the sign post into the ground and removing the same. Paulson""s self-contained driving mechanism is configured with driver contact points located entirely within the handle of the device. This configuration results in a very limited throw distance before each impact of the driver. The design of this driving mechanism seriously limits the effectiveness of the device in penetrating ground of hard nature. In fact, Paulson discusses this problem and teaches the very conventional remedy of using a hammer to drive the post into hard ground. This self-admitted shortcoming of the Paulson device limits the self-driving mechanism to effective use only in soft ground; a result which is hardly better than a standard metal sign post. Paulson teaches the use of its sign post with signs of rigid material construction of a size and configuration which will fit between two holding points on the sign post. The height of the post is not adjustable, there are no structural connecting points to which crossbars can be attached to other posts or to which any attachments can be made, and signs of various configuration or signs constructed of soft fabric material cannot be effectively secured to the Paulson sign post.
Another more recent effort to provide an improved sign post assembly is disclosed in Boyar, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,901. Boyar discloses a sign post assembly with a slide hammer, the design of which is limited to driving the post into the ground. Boyar does not provide a structure by which it is possible to include a self-contained extraction mechanism that can be used to remove the post from the ground. Further, the design of the Boyar sign post assembly limits the useful applications and types of signs which can be effectively displayed. Boyar only provides for and teaches the display of a cantilever signs. The limited structure of Boyar only allows for signs connected along a top edge to an extended horizontal bar attached to the vertical sign posts. This configuration is very conventional and is routinely employed for small real estate sales signs placed in the front yards of homes being offered for sale or rent. The sign post assembly of Boyar is designed for that application only and would be entirely unsuitable for use as a support for a flexible fabric sign due to the effect of wind on such non-rigid signs.
Lucchesi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,910 discloses a real estate sign pole which can be used with a separately provided non-integral slide hammer. The sign pole of Lucchesi must be in a disassembled state prior to using the separate slide hammer to drive the pole into the ground. After the pole has been driven into the ground, the sign pole disclosed by Lucchesi requires several steps for assembly of the sign pole, including attaching a covering sleeve over a slotted opening in the post and attaching a top portion, which is configured with a 90xc2x0 bend such that the sign support is configured horizontal to the ground. The Lucchesi sign pole cannot be driven into the ground with an integrally provided slide hammer and after being driven into the ground cannot be configured to support a sign without complete removal and disassembly of the slide prior to reassembly to form the basic vertical sign post. After reassembly, the horizontal support is configured to hold hanging signs which are connected to the Lucchesi device only along the top edge of the sign. Such a connection provides poor support for light-weight signs due to the effect of wind. The Lucchesi sign pole is of a fixed height unless an additional piece of pipe of fixed length is inserted between the bottom portion of the post and the upper portion with the 90xc2x0 bend during the assembly process. The Lucchesi sign pole, therefore, is limited to one of two selected heights, depending upon whether or not the additional fixed length extension tube is included in the assembly step.
None of the conventional sign posts, alone or in combination, fully meets the majority of the needs of users.
As demonstrated above, the need to provide a sign system easily adapted for a variety of applications and sign material types, on even or uneven terrain, which are easily positioned in the ground without the need for additional tools or assembly, highly stable during use, and easily removed after use has not been met by conventional sign support technology. The present invention is provided to meet the identified multiple needs for an effective sign support system.
The sign support system of the present invention provides a unique self-contained telescoping vertical support assembly which can be easily adapted for use with a wide variety of sign shapes, sizes and material of rigid or soft flexible composition. The sign support system of the present invention can be easily positioned in the ground or removed from the ground using only the self-contained driving mechanism. The present invention is further designed to be used as a one-post, two-post, or multi-post sign system thereby providing added adaptability to a wide variety of sign sizes and configurations. The sign support system further provides for independent vertical and horizontal size adjustments to permit the sign support to adapt to a variety sizes of signs and spatial limitations. Further, the sign support system is configured to be quickly affixed to the ground, easily assembled, stable during use, and compactly stored when not in use.
An object of the present invention is to provide a highly versatile sign support system for temporarily displaying a wide variety of sign shapes, sizes, and materials of fabrication on even or uneven terrain without the need for additional ground installation tools or equipment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a telescoping vertical support assembly which can be temporarily affixed to and supported in soft or hard ground. The vertical support assembly includes a self-contained driving and extracting mechanism, and multiple vertical support assemblies can be interconnected, using a novel crossbar assembly, to provide a superior support system for a wide variety of applications.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sign system kit which includes at least one telescoping vertical support assembly having a self-contained driving and extracting mechanism, and at least one crossbar assembly, which is adapted to easily connect two or more vertical support assemblies, one to another, to form a multi-poled sign support system. The sign system kit can also be provided with a variety of attachments, which can be selected by the user as desired to meet a wide variety of applications, to include the display of multiple signs from a singular telescoping pole. The sign system kit can also be provided with a blank sign manufactured of soft or rigid material which can be imprinted as the user desires either before or after being removably attached to the sign support system. Optionally, the sign system kit can also include imprinting materials and appliques which can be used by the user to produce inexpensive displays of information which present a professional appearance to the viewer.